Automatic spray painter



April 4, 1967 F. P. SHARPE AUTOMATIC SPRAY PAINTER 7 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Jan. 25, 1962 April 4, 1967 F. P. SHARPE AUTOMATIC SPRAY PAINTER 7Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 25, 1962 7 Sheets-Sheet I5 April 4, 1967 P.SHARPE AUTOMATIC SPRAY PAINTER Filed Jan. 25, 1962 llllll '7Sheets-Sheet 4 F. P. SHA'RPE AUTQMATIC SPRAY PAINTER INVENTOR.

ar/vzwi April 4, 1967 Filed Jan. 25, 1962 H MGHHUH W April 4, 1967 F. P.SHARPE Aurm'r'w SPRAY PAINTER.

' I 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 25. 1962 INVENTOK 7 Sheets-Shei e April4, 1967' F.'Pa SHARPE v AUTOMATIC span PAINTER Filed Jan. 25 1962 v FgP.SHARPE. 3,312,567 AUTOMATIC SPRAY PAINTER April 4,. 1967 7 Sheets-Sheet'7 Filed Jan. 25. 1963 N NQ M W WSW a l/av A. A \N Q N1 MY NNW UnitedStates Patent 3,312,567 AUTOMATIC SPRAY PAINTER Frederick P. Sharpe,Dearborn, Mich., assignor to Kelsey-Hayes Company, Romulus, Mich. FiledJan. 25, 1962, Ser. No. 168,776 13 Claims. (Cl. 117105.4)

This invention relates to automatic spray painting equipment and moreparticularly to a method and apparatus for spray painting annulararticles such as vehicle wheels.

The painting of vehicle wheels during the manufacture thereof haspreviously been a time consuming operation which required severalworkmen to attend to the spray painting operation. The initialapplication of paint to a vehicle wheel is done for protective purposesand does not require as careful workmanship as subsequent painting byautomobile manufacturers for decorative purposes. The primaryrequirement of the initial or base coating of paint is to cover all theouter surfaces of the wheel. The primary objective in the application ofthe base paint to wheels during the manufacture thereof, and prior to assembly with a vehicle body, is to obtain complete uniform coverage asrapidly and economically as possible.

It is the primary purpose of the present invention to provide spraypainting apparatus which increases the rate of production of Wheels.

Another object of the present invention is to provide paint sprayapparatus which is automatic in operation and requires no manualmanipulation of the parts by an operator or operators. In this respect,it is an object of the present invention to reduce the cost of paintingannular objects such as vehicle wheels. Still another object of thepresent invention is,to provide a new and improved method and apparatusfor applying a uniform coating to an object having annular surfaces. Inthis regard, it is an object of the present invention to provide novelmeans for moving an object having annular surfaces, such as a vehiclewheel, to and through coating apparatus by rolling movement along aninclined conveyor track.

Another object of the present invention is to provide means to conveyannular objects such as vehicle Wheels to and from coating apparatus ina manner which reduces the time required for application of a coatingthereto. To this end, it is a further object of the present invention toprovide elevator means for removing annular articles, such as vehiclewheels, from a conveyor track and locating the articles in a paint spraybath.

It is a further object to provide rotation means to rotate wheels or thelike in a fixed spray bath after removal from a conveyor track.

Another object is to provide means to return wheels or the like to aconveyor track immediately after completion of application of a coatingthereto as soon as the surface of the articles have been completelycoated and without the necessity of waiting for the coating to dry.Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide meansto convey annular articles, such as vehicle wheels, from a paint spraybooth as soon as the paint spray application has been completed andbefore the paint has dried on the wheel. To this end, special wheelsupport means are provided on the conveyor track which permit transferof the wheels from a paint spray booth without marring the paint coatingapplied thereto.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method andapparatus for controlling movement of annular objects along a conveyortrack and through a coating operation.

Another object is to provide apparatus for removing an object from aconveyor in a new and improved manner and which is readily adaptable foruse with annular objects of varying sizes and dimensions.

3,312,567 Patented Apr. 4, 1967 The above and other objects of thepresent invention are more fully discussed hereinafter by reference tothe following detailed description and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of paint spray apparatusemploying the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial plan view showing the loading means and a portionof the inclined conveyor track means of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a partial plan view showing a portion of the inclinedconveyor track of FIGURE 1 FIGURE 4 is a partial plan view showing aportion of the inclined conveyor track means of FIGURE 1 within thepaint spray booth;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5--5 in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a partial side elevational view of the loading means andconveyor track means shown in FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 7 is a partial side elevational view of the portion of theconveyor track means shown in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 8 is a partial side elevational view of the portion of theconveyor track means shown in FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 9 is a side elevational view, partially in section, taken alongthe line 99 in FIGURE 8 and showing apparatus for removing a wheel inthe paint spray booth from the conveyor track means and rotating theWheel through a spray paint zone.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, the paint spray apparatus of the presentinvention comprises, in general, an article delivering conveyormechanism 10 which delivers formed wheels 12 one at a time inpredetermined time intervals into conveyor track loading means 14. Thewheels12 are received in the loading means in an upright position,resting on the spaced annular flanges 16, 18, as shown at 20. Aninclined conveyor track means 21 extends from the loading means 14 andpasses through a paint spray booth 22, in which a plurality of paintspray nozzles 23, 24 are adjustably mounted on support bracket means 26,28. The paint spray nozzles 23, 24 are located on both sides of andabove and below the conveyor track 21 and are centrally directed todefine a predetermined paint spray zone 29. A wheel elevating androtating means 30 is mounted within the spray booth 22 above the track21 and is centrally located within the spray zone 29. The wheel rotatingand elevating means 30 is connected to actuating means 32 locatedoutside the paint spray booth through a side wall thereof. The inclinedconveyor track continues through the paint spray booth and extends onthe other side thereof to an automatic unloading device 36. Control armmeans 40, 42 are associated with the conveyor track. The control armmeans 40 is adapted to feed wheels 43 into the paint spray booth at acontrolled rate and at predetermined time intervals. The control armmeans 42 is adapted to locate wheels 44 within the paint spray booth forassociation with the rotating and elevating means 30, and to releasewheels 46 for rolling movement down the inclined track to the unloadingmeans 36.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 6, the conveyor loading chute 14 is shownto comprise a receiving box portion formed by side wall portions 52, 54,56, and a bottom plate 58. The bottom plate 58 tapers downwardly fromthe end wall 52 toward the paint spray booth. The wheels 14 aredelivered from the conveyor mechanism 10 into the receiving box portion.A locating and wheel positioning elbow 60 is provided within the loadingchute to vertically position the wheelson the annular rim flanges .16,18 for rolling movement down the conveyor track. The location of the boxportion on the bottom plate 58 may be varied to accom- 3 modate varyingsized wheels by the provision of adjustable support brackets 66, 68, 70,72 which are provided with slots 74 in which fastening elements 76 arereceivable. A pair of support beams 78, 79 extend longitudinally of thebottom plate 58.

The conveyor track and inlet box are supported in any suitable mannersuch as by a plurality of spaced structural members 80, 8 2 or bysupport legs which are suitably positioned along the conveyor track. Thesupporting structural members 80, 82 may be vertically extending I beamsor the like. The conveyor track and loading chute means may be securedthereto by adjustable brackets so that the vertical position of theconveyor track may be varied and so that the desired amount ofinclination of the conveyor track relative to horizontal may beobtained. It is to be understood that the conveyor track 21 is inclinedrelative to the vertical extending structural members 80, 82. Forconvenience of illustration, the conveyor track is shown in the drawingin what appears to be a horizontal position with the structural supportmembers in a nonvertical inclined position. The center line 84, inFIGURE 6, shows that the conveyor track is inclined relative to thevertical support member 82 so that the wheels will roll down theconveyor track from the loading means to and through the paint spraybooth to the unloading means.

Referring now to FIGURES 3 and 7, it will be seen that the top surface86 of the bottom plate 58 is aligned with the top surface 88 of thewheel rim receiving portion of the conveyor track 21. A pair of guideplates 90, 92 extend from the end 93 of the box portion along theconveyor track to provide additional support for the wheels. Inaddition, a pair of guide rails 94 may be vertically'spaced above theconveyor track and extend between adjacent support members. Stillreferring to FIGURES 3 and 7, the portion of the conveyor track betweenthe loading means and the spray paint booth i's shownto comprise a baseportion formed by a pair of parallel longitudinally extending rightangle structural members 100, 102which may be connected by spaced crossbrace elements 104 at suitable intervals. Parallel rails 116, 118 havingflat upper surfaces are fastened to the elements 104 and are adapted torollably support the wheel rims. Guide plates 120, 122 are secured tothe outer side surfaces of the rails 116, 118 and extend thereabove toprovide guides for the wheels. The inner surfaces 124, 126 of the guideplates are beveled as shown in FIG. 5. The guide plates 90, 92 aresecured to the thc guide plates 120, 122 by suitable brackets 130, 132.

The control means 40 which controls delivery of wheels to the paintspray booth comprises a triangularly shaped member 180 formed by threearm portions 182, 184, 186=and .a central hub portion 188 which iscentrally mounted between the support rails 116, 118 in front of theloading means 14. The control means is pivotally mounted on ashaft 189which is supported by hearing blocks 190, 192. The arm portions areconnected by curved surfaces 196, 198, 200. Cylindrical pin elements204, 206 are mounted on the ends of the arm portions 182, 184 and extendtransversely thereof for engagement with the wheels 12. The controlmeans is movable between a wheel receiving position, shown in FIG. 7 anda wheel delivering position. In the wheel receiving position, the arm182 has a substantially horizontal position extending substantiallyparallel to the support rails 116, 118, and the arm 184 extendsvertically upwardly to provide a stop for wheels which are deliveredfrom the loading means 14 and rolled down the conveyor track to engagethe arm 184 and pin 206. The upper end 210 of the arm .182 extends abovethe upper surfaces 88 of the conveyor track rails in the wheel receivingposition to provide, in cooperation with the curved surface 196, a seatfor the wheel. Power means in the form of a power cylinder 230, shown inFIG. 6, are provided to actuate the control means 40 from the wheelreceiving position to a wheel delivering position. The piston rod 232 ofthe power cylinder is connected by a connecting rod 234 to the arm 186at 236 by any suitable pivotal connection. The power cylinder ispivotally supported at 237 to a bracket 238 which is fixed beneath theloading means. A conventional control switch 242 is centrally mountedbetween the sup port rails 116, 118 and located within the seat pocketformed by the curved surface 196. An actuating finger portion of theswitch extends above the guide rails and is adapted to be engaged by awheel and indicate the presence thereof and cause actuation of othermechanisms to be hereinafter described in a predetermined manner.

Referring now to FIGS. 4, 5 and 8, the portion of the conveyor trackextending from the spray booth to the unloading means comprises thestructural members 100, 102, rails 246, 248, and additional cross braces104. The rails 246, 248 are connected to the rails 116, 118 at 253 andform a continuation thereof. The upper surfaces of rails 246, 248 areserrated as indicated at 254 in FIG. 8 to provide a series ofknife-edges 255 which are adapted to rollably support the wheel rims. Inorder to provide for adjustment of the spacing of the rails if desired,adjustment sleeves 256, 257 may be provided in association with crossbraces .104. The rails 116, 118 and 246, 248 are connected by brackets258, 260 and pin means 262. The guide rail 120 is extended vertically bya plate 259.

The conrol means 42 in the spray booth comprises an arm 261 having a hubportion 262 which is pivoted on a shaft 263 extending between thesupport rails 246, 248 and rotatably supported by bearing means 264,266. The end of the arm 261 is provided with a transversely extendingcylindrical pin 267. A projection 268 extends downwardly beneath the hub262 and is pivotally connected at 270 to end 272 of the connecting rod234 so that actuation of the power cylinder 230 causes rotative movementof the arm 261 from the release position beneath the rails 246, 248 tothe stop position shown at 261 for engagement with a wheel 12. Thecontrol means further comprises a pair of ramp plates 270, 272 havinginclined approach surfaces 274, 216 and flat transverse top surfaces278, 280 at the rear. A conventional control switch 282 having anactuating finger 284 is mounted on a support bracket 286 between thesupports 102. The control switch may be adjustably mounted by means of aslide plate to position the switch for proper actuation as a wheel rollsdown the conveyor track. The actuating finger is adapted to extendupwardly into the path of the rolling wheel to be actuated thereby for apurpose to be hereinafter described.

As shown in FIG. 8, the wheel 12 is provided with a conventionalfastening boss 290 having a plurality of bolt receiving holes 292 and,as is conventional, a central bore 294. The center of the bore 294 isindicated at 302 and is located in a particular position by the controlmeans 42 relative to wheel elevating and rotating means to be described.The wheel 12 in FIG. 8 is shown in an elevated position with the bottomof the wheel vertically spaced above the rails 246 248. In general, asshown in FIG. 4, the wheel elevating and rotating means comprises agripping head 304, an extensible sleeve unit 306 which extends throughan opening 308 in a side wall 310 of the spray booth 22, and anactuating unit 312.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the center line 320 of the rotating means isspaced a distance above the center 302 of the central bore 294 of thewheel when the wheel is resting on the locating plates 270, 272 of thetrackway as shown at 321. Consequently, when the wheel 12 has beengripped by the head 304 and centered thereon so that the center lines320 and 302 coincide, the wheel is raised above the conveyor track andis completely suspended thereabove as shown in FIG. 9.

The gripping means comprises a plurality of hell cranks.

322, 323, 324 which are spaced around the periphery of a support annulus325. Each of the bell cranks is identical and therefore only the bellcrank 324 is described in detail. The bell crank 324 is provided with anaxially outwardly extending jaw portion 326 and a radially inwardlyextending actuating portion 327. The bell crank is pivotally mounted ina slot 328 provided in the head 325 and is pivotally supported thereinby pin means 329. In the preferred embodiment, three such bell cranksare provided at equally spaced locations around the periphery of thehead 325 and are located at 120 degrees from one another. The jaw 326 isprovided with wheel engaging surfaces 330 which are adapted to extendwithin the central bore of the wheel and be radially outwardly extendedtherein. The actuating portion 327 extends radially inwardly into agroove 332 provided in a slidable actuating head 334. The head 334 isslidably received in a cavity 336 in the support head 325 and isconnected to a rod 340 which is axially reciprocable to move theactuator head 334 relative to the support head 325 and pivot the bellcrank 324 about the pivotal connection 328. When the actuatinghead 334is in its innermost position closely adjacent the rear wall 344 of thesupport head 325, the gripping jaws 326 of the bell crank are located inthe radial inwardmost position and each of the jaws are located within acircle having a diameter less than the diameter of the central bore ofthe wheel and circumscribed thereby. When the actuating head 334 isfully extended, as shown in FIG. 9, the gripping jaws are radiallyextending into full surface engagement with the periphery of the centralbore to rigidly support the wheel thereon. Since the central axis 320 ofthe jaws is originally offset above the center axis 302 of the centralbore, the jaws are located at the innermost position in a manner topermit the jaws to be axially extended through the bore before beingradially extended into engagement therewith. A cover sleeve 348 isprovided around the support head 325 to retain the elements in positionthereon.

The shaft 340 is slidably supported within a bearing sleeve 360 and isconnected at its inner end to a connecting sleeve 362 which isthreadably associated with a piston rod 364 of a power cylinder 366. Thepower cylinder 366 may be a conventional air operated device having airhose connections provided by rotatable bushings 368, 370 which permit*rotation of the entire unit. A compression spring element 372 separatesthe bearing sleeve 360 and the connecting sleeve 362 and provides a lostmotion mechanism to accommodate displacement of the actuating head 334relative to the support head 325. The shafts 340, 364 and bearingsleeves 360, 362 are slidably mounted in a rotatable support sleeve 400which extends between pillow blocks 402, 404 and is rotatably supportedtherein. The pillow blocks 402, 404 are fixedly secured to a supportplate 406 in any conventional manner. The sleeve 400 is drivinglyconnected to the sleeve 360 by a key element 406 which is secured to thesleeve 400 and has a portion 408 extending radially inwardly through aslot 410 into a keyway 412 in the sleeve 360. The keyway 412 extendsaxially a sufficient distance to permit axial sliding movement of thesleeve 360 relative to the sleeve 400 during positioning of the head 325relative to the wheel. An abutment surface 414 is provided on the keyelement to engage the end 416 of the keyway 412 when the sleeve 360 hasreached a predetermined maximum axial displacement. The sleeve 360 isdrivingly keyed to shaft 340 by a key element 418 which secures thesupport head 325 to the sleeve 360 and is received within a keyway 420in the shaft to permit axial displacement of the shaft 340 relative tothe sleeve 360. The flexible bellows like sleeve 306 is connected at:one end to an annular extension 422 of the pillow block 404 and isconnected at its other end to the support head 325. The connectionbetween the bellows sleeve 306 and head 325 is accomplished by aconventional retaining spring or the like which permits relativerotation there? between. The other end of the sleeve 400 is threaded at423 and receives a collar 424 to which the power cylinder 366 isconnected by suitable bolt means 425. A stop collar 426 is mounted onthe sleeve 400 and adapted to abut the side surface of the pillow block402 to properly locate the apparatus.

Thus the entire sleeve and shaft assembly is rotatable within the pillowblocks 402, 404 to obtain rotation of the head 304 by means of a gearelement 440 which is keyed to the sleeve 400 by a key element 442mounted in a keyway 443. A drive gear 444 is drivingly engaged withinthe gear element 440 and is drivingly connected to a shaft 446 which isrotatably mounted at its ends in bearing blocks 448, 450. The bearingblocks 448, 450 may be fastened to the support bracket 406 in anyconventional manner. A pinion 460 is drivingly engaged with the shaft446 and is drivingly engaged by a rack element 462. One end of the rackelement 462 is connected to a power cylinder 464 for reciprocableactuation thereof. A pair of guide blocks 466, 468 may be secured to asupport bracket 470 and are cooperable with guide slots 472 provided inthe rack element. Reciprocable movement of the rack element in theguideway formed by the guide blocks causes rotative movement of thesleeves 400, 360 and the shaft 340 through gears 440, 442 and 460.

The drive apparatus is all mounted externally of the spray booth andonly the shaft 340 and the sleeve 360 extends through the side wall ofthe booth. In this man: ner, the Operating mechanism is protected fromthe paint spray in the spray booth.

In operation with wheels 12 being continuously fed from the conveyor 10into the conveyor track loading means 14, each wheel is received in theloading box in an upright position supported by the annular flanges 16,18. The bottom surface of the receiving box is downwardly inclined tocause the wheels to roll onto the rails 116, 118 of the conveyor track21. The control means 40 receives one wheel at a time over the pocketdefined by the curved surface 196 and abutting the pin 206 in arm 184.The switch 242 is actuated by the presence of the wheel over the pocketand actuates the power cylinder 230 through conventional controlcircuitry to cause retraction of the piston rod 232 and the connectingrod 234. Rearward movement of the connecting rod 234 causes rotation ofthe member on the shaft 189 to lower the arm 184 and raise the arm 182which kicks or pushes the wheel 12 down the track toward the paint spraybooth. The pin 204 prevents the next wheel from moving down the trackuntil the member 180 isreturned to the original wheel receivingposition. The control means 42 in the spray booth is simultaneouslyactuated by the connecting rod 234 to raise the arm 261 from its lowerposition to its upper position where the pin 267 will abut the wheel 12and stop downward movement thereof along the inclined track at apredetermined position within the spray booth.

A wheel which is released by downward movement of the arm 184 rollsalong the inclined track and into the spray booth where it passes overthe control switch 282 and up onto the locating plates 270, 272. Thewheel moves into abutting engagement with the stop pin 267 on the arm261 and is thereby located within the paint spray booth for gripping andremoval by the elevating and rotating means. In the stopped position ofthe wheel in the spray booth, the center 302 of the central bore of thewheel is vertically offset below the central longitudinal axis 320 ofthe rotating apparatus. However, vertical axes passing through thecenter of the central bore and the central axis of the rotatingapparatus are aligned.

Actuation of the switch means 282by movement of a wheel thereoveractuates the power cylinder 366 through conventional circuitry to causeextension of the piston rod 364 toward the spray booth. The connectingsleeve 362, the Connecting rod 340, and the bearing sleeve 360 aresimilarly, equally, axially displaced. Consequently, the support head325 and the actuating hea-d 334 are equally, axially displaced to locatethe gripping jaws 330 of the bell cranks within the central bore of thewheel. As the support head 325 and the actuating head 334 approach thecentral bore of the hub, the abutment surface 416 of thebearing sleeve360 engages the abutment 414 of the key element 380* and further axialdisplacement of the bearing sleeve 360 is prevented. Consequently, thesupport head 325 is fixedly positioned and has no further outward axialdisplacement. The compression spring 372 permits the piston rod 364, theconnecting sleeve 362, and the actuating rod 340* to continue to beaxially displaced in response to further actuation of the power cylinder366. The spring 372 is compressed and the actuating rod 340 movesoutwardly relative to the sleeve 360 and the actuating head 334 is movedoutwardly relative to the support head 325 within the cavity 336. Therelative movement is accommodated by slot 420 provided in the actuatingrod 340. Relative displacement of the actuating head 334 moves theactuating arms 327 of the bell cranks in an arcuate path and radiallyoutwardly displaces the gripping jaws 330 into gripping engagement withthe inner surface of the bore 294 of the wheel. As the gripping jaws aremoved radially outwardly the wheel is centered upwardly toward thecenter axis 320' until the axis 302 of the bore coincides therewith.

When the actuating mechanism has been fully extended and the wheel isproperly gripped, a limit switch (not shown) is actuated to causeactuation of the power cylinder 464. The power cylinder 464 actuates therack element 462 and imparts rotary motion to the shaft 466 and drivegear 444 through the pinion 460. The drive gear 444 meshes with androtates the gear 440 which causes rotation of the sleeve 400, thebearing sleeve 360, and the actuating shaft 340 so that the grippinghead and wheel are rotated therewith. The rack drive is designed toprovide a measured degree of rotation of the wheel through at least 360during the power stroke. The rate of rotation is always constant and maybe accurately controlled so that an extremely uniform paint coating isobtained. Since the spray field is fixed and each wheel is rotated aprecise number of revolutions at a precise speed, the uniformity of thepaint spray coating on each wheel and between wheels is exceptionallyuniform. When the rack reaches the end of its linear travel, a limitswitch (not shown) is actuated to actuate the power cylinder 366 andretract the head unit 304 to release the wheel and return it to theconveyor track. When the head unit 304 has been fully retracteda limitswitch (not shown) is actuated to actuate the power cylinder 230 andreturn the control means 40, 42 to the original positions with the arm261 in its lower position and the arm 184 in its upper positionproviding a stop for wheels being delivered from the loading means. Thearm 201 is lowered beneath the upper surface of the track 88 and thewheel drops onto the serrations 254 provided on the track rails 246,248.. The wheel moves downwardly along the inclined track by gravity tothe unloading means. The ends 278 of the locating plates 270, 272 areolfset forwardly of the center of the wheel so that the wheel will movedown onto the track when the arm 261 is lowered. The serrations on thetrack provide a knife-edge contact with the portions of the periphery ofthe wheel which will not mar the finish of the paint. The paint on thewheel flows over any markings caused by the knife-edges of theserrations and the paint is relatively quick drying so that theserrations will not aifect the paint surface at all after the wheel hasrolled a short distance down the track and out of the spray booth.

The spray elements 23, 24 in the spray booth are controlled in aconvention-a1 manner and spray paint in a predetermined pattern onto therotating wheel. The

spray nozzles may be permanently fixed to provide a predetermined spraypattern or spray zone through which the wheel is rotated. Consequently,the subject apparatus has distinct advantages over paint spray equipmentwherein the spray heads must be made movable to thoroughly coatinteriorly curved surfaces. The spray heads may be made adjustable onthe support brackets 26, 28 so that the spray pattern may be varied whennecessary. The spray heads are completely enclosed within the spraybooth and the gripping and elevating mechanism extends through a sidewall of the booth and is protected from the spray paint by the flexibleouter sleeve. The only portions of the actuating mechanism subject tothe paint spray are the head and gripping jaws. The constant movement ofthe gripping jaws causes paint accumulating thereon to flake off anddoes not interfere in any manner with the operation of the apparatus.

It is intended that various modifications and changes in the arrangementof the various parts which utilize the principles herein disclosed areto be included within the scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for applying a coating to an article having annularportions which may be used to rollably support said article and by whichrolling movement of said article may be induced, and comprising: aninclined track means upon which said article is adapted to roll from onelocation to another, coating means mounted along said track means,control means to stop rolling movement of said article along said trackmeans at a predetermined position thereon adjacent said coating means,separating means provided at said predetermined position to disengagesaid article from said track means prior to the application of a coatingthereto and to replace said article on said track means after saidcoating has been applied thereto, serration means on the portion of saidtrack means beyond said predetermined position upon which said articleis replaced following the application of said coating thereto, and saidserration means providing knife-edge contact with said article duringrolling movement along said track means to prevent said coating frombeing marred.

2. Apparatus for positioning an article having a bore formed therein ina predetermined position for an operation thereon, and comprising: jawmeans adapted to be received within said bore and to grippingly engagesaid article within said bore, support means locating said jaw meanseccentrically relative to said bore whereby gripping engagement of saidjaw means with said article causes radial displacement of said article adistance equal to the eccentricity of said jaw means relative to saidbore, and rotation means associated with said jaw means to causerotation of said article after gripping engagement of said jaw meanstherewith and radial displacement thereof.

3. Apparatus for removing an article having a bore formed therein from asupport and comprising: jaw means adapted to be received within saidbore, jaw actuating means to actuate said jaw means within said bore andto cause gripping engagement of said jaw means with said article withinsaid bore, support means locating said jaw means eccentrically relativeto said bore prior to gripping engagement of said jaw means with saidarticle, and the eccentricity of said jaw means relative to said borebeing sufficient to cause radial displacement of said article away fromsaid support when said jaw means are actuated to thereby remove saidarticle from said support.

4. The method of paint spraying wheels or the like, and comprising thesteps of:

rolling said wheels into a paint spray booth on an inclined conveyortrack,

stopping the rolling wheels on said conveyor track in said paint spraybooth in a predetermined position therein,

automatically mechanically grasping and removing the wheels from saidconveyor track in said paint spray booth and locating said wheels in asuspended position above said conveyor track in a fixed paint sprayzone,

roating the suspended wheels in said paint spray zone above saidconveyor track,

applying paint to the rotating wheels by fixedly positioned paint sprayapparatus, and

returning said wheels to said conveyor track and releasing said wheelsthereon for further rolling movement therealong.

5. The method of paint spraying wheels or the like as defined in claim 4and including the additional steps of:

supporting said wheels on said conveyor track during rolling movementtherealong from said paint spray booth on a plurality of knife-edges sothat the paint coating is not marred during rolling movement along saidconveyor track after the application of paint thereto.

6. Apparatus for applying a coating to an article having a bore formedtherein and having annular portions which may be used to rollablysupport said article and by which rolling movement of said article maybe induced, and comprising: an inclined track means upon which saidarticle is adapted to roll from one location to another, coating meansmounted along said track means, control means to stop rolling movementof said article along said track means at a predetermined positionthereon adjacent said coating means, jaw means movable about a centralaxis located adjacent said track means at said predetermined positionand adapted to be received within said bore and to grippingly engagesaid article within said bore, rotation means associated with said jawmeans to cause rotation of said article about said central axis aftergripping engagement of said jaw means therewith, support means locatingsaid central axis eccentrically relative to the center of said borewhereby gripping engagement of said jaw means with said article causesdisplacement of said article above said track means a distance equal tothe eccentricity of said central axis relative to the center of saidbore to remove said article from said track means for suspended rotationthereabo-ve.

7. Apparatus for applying a spray coating to an article having a boreformed therein and having annular portions which may be used to rollablysupport said article and by which rolling movement of said article maybe induced, and comprising: an inclined conveyor track, feed means toposition said article on said track for rolling movement therealong, apaint spray booth enclosing a portion of said track, paint sprayapparatus fixedly mounted in said booth adjacent said track and adaptedto create a paint spray zone of predetermined size and location withinsaid booth, control means associated with said track to stop rollingmovement of said article therealong at a predetermined position withinsaid booth, elevating means to engage said article when stopped at saidpredetermined position and to move sad article into said spray zone forapplication of said spray coating thereto and to replace said article onsaid track after the application of said spray coating thereto, androtation means to rotate said article in said spray zone for the uniformand complete application of said coating to said article.

8. Apparatus for applying a spray coating to an article having a boreformed therein and having annular portions which may be used to rollablysupport said article and by which rolling movement of said article maybe induced, and comprising: an inclined conveyor track, feed means toposition said article on said track for rolling movement therealong, apaint spray booth enclosing a portion of said track, paint sprayapparatus fixedly mounted in said booth adjacent said track and adaptedto create a paint spray zone of predetermined size and location withinsaid booth, control means associated with said track to stop rollingmovement of said article therealong at a predetermined position withinsaid booth, gripping jaw means axially movable between gripping andrelease positions and being rotatable about a central axis, said controlmeans being adapted to stop article on said track with said bore inposition to receive said gripping jaw means with the center of said boreeccentrically .positioned relative to said central axis of said grippingjaw means, actuating means for said gripping jaw means to effectextension of said jaw means into said bore and to radially displace saidjaw means therein into gripping engagement with said article, saidcenter of said bore being upwardly displaced by actuation of said jawmeans to remove said article from said track, and rotation meansconnected to said jaw means for rotation of said article in said sprayzone after removal from said track.

9. In coating apparatus for applying a coating to an article havingannular portions which may be used to rollably support said article andby which rolling movement of said article may be induced, andcomprising: a conveyor track for rollably transporting said articleafter application of a coating thereto, rail means provided on saidtrack to rotatably support sai-d article by engagement with said annularportions, and serration means provided on said rail means to defineknife-edge supports for said article during rolling movement therealongwhereby said article may be moved along said track before said coatingdries without deleterious marring thereof.

10. Paint spray apparatus for applying a paint spray coating to anarticle comprising: a paint spray booth, fixedly located paint spraymeans mounted within said spray booth to define a paint spray zone,conveyor means extending through said booth, head means for engaging andremoving said article from said conveyor means and extending said spraybooth adjacent said conveyor means through said spray zone, headactuating means located outside said booth, and connecting meansextending between said head means and said head actuating means.

11. The paint spray apparatus as defined in claim 10 and wherein aprotective extensible covering is mounted about said connecting meanswithin said booth to prevent accumulation of paint spray thereon.

12. The paint spray apparatus as defined in claim 10 and wherein saidhead means comprises a support head, a plurality of jaw elements movablymounted on said support head, an actuating head mounted on said supporthead and being movable relative thereto, actuating linkage connectingsaid jaw elements and said actuating head whereby relative movementbetween said support head and said actuating head causes movement ofsaid jaw elements between an article gripping position and a nongrippingposition.

l13. The paint spray apparatus as defined in claim 12 and wherein saidconnecting means comprises a rotatable support sleeve means, a rotatableand axially movable bearing sleeve connected to said support head andextending into said booth, an axially movable actuating shaft coaxiallymounted in said bearing sleeve and being axially movable relativethereto, key means to rotatably connect said support sleeve means tosaid bearing sleeve and said actuating shaft, lost motion meanspermitting coextensive axial displacement of said bearing sleeve andsaid actuating shaft until said head means acquires a predeterminedposition relative to said article and thereafter permitting displacementof said actuating shaft relative to said bearing sleeve to displace saidactuating head relative to said support head and move said jaw meansfrom said non-gripping position to said gripping position, and powermeans to actuate said actuating shaft to said gripping position and torotate said head means in said gripping position.

(References on following page) Rferences Cited by the Examiner UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Ash 118-320 X Roles 118-102 Maynard 118-302 Willshaw51-15 Maulding 214-1 Giordano 118-320 Anderson 118-320 X Dailey et a1.29-81 McConnell 214-1 Jacobsen et a1. 118-6 Bosl et a1. 51-215Chapellier 264-95 Riley 214-1 Ewing 214-1 ALFRED L. LEAVITT, PrimaryExaminer.

RICHARD D. NEVIUS, Examine-r. 10 M. KAPLAN, J. P. MCINTOSH, AssistantExaminers

1. APPARATUS FOR APPLYING A COATING TO AN ARTICLE HAVING ANNULAR PORTIONS WHICH MAY BE USED TO ROLLABLY SUPPORT SAID ARTICLE AND BY WHICH ROLLING MOVEMENT OF SAID ARTICLE MAY BE INDUCED, AND COMPRISING: AN INCLINED TRACK MEANS UPON WHICH SAID ARTICLE IS ADAPTED TO ROLL FROM ONE LOCATION TO ANOTHER, COATING MEANS MOUNTED ALONG SAID TRACK MEANS, CONTROL MEANS TO STOP ROLLING MOVEMENT OF SAID ARTICLE ALONG SAID TRACK MEANS AT A PREDETERMINED POSITION THEREON ADJACENT SAID KCOATING MEANS, SEPARTING MEANS PROVIDED AT SAID PREDETERMINED POSITION TO DISENGAGE SAID ARTICLE FROM SAID TRACK MEANS PRIOR TO THE APPLICATION OF A COATING THERETO AND TO REPLACE SAID ARTICLE ON SAID TRACK MEANS AFTER SAID COATING HAS BEEN APPLIED THERETO, SERRATION MEANS ON THE PORTION OF SAID TRACK MEANS BEYOND SAID PREDETERMINED POSITION UPON WHICH SAID ARTICLE IS REPLACED FOLLOWING THE APPLICATION OF SAID COATING THERETO, AND SAID SERRATION MEANS PROVIDING KNIFE-EDGE CONTACT WITH SAID ARTICLE DURING ROLLING MOVEMENT ALONG SAID TRACK MEANS TO PREVENT SAID COATING FROM BEING MARRED. 